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Burning biomass - often from wood - is a key pillar of the government's renewable energy strategy, but there are questions over whether more biomass means higher emissions. A joint government and industry initiative launched yesterday sets out to clarify biomass's role in the UK's drive to meet its energy needs while cutting carbon. 

The initiative is coordinated by  Carbon Connect which brings together MPs, peers and industry. The group's report will aim to outline "the role of renewables and how they tie into security of supply", according to former energy minister and Carbon Connect co-chair Charles Hendry. Here's a few key issues it will need to address.

Biomass emissions controversy

The government must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by  80 per cent by 2050 by law.  

It's hard to know whether biomass will help the UK cut carbon, however. Biomass generation  can be carbon negative, in theory. But it depends on what kind of biomass is used and where it comes from. 

Government  figures released today show four million households in fuel poverty, slightly fewer than a year before. Three things in particular affect the numbers: energy prices, household incomes and where people live.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) releases annual figures on fuel poverty. A household is considered in fuel poverty if it spends more than 10 per cent of its income on fuel costs. But this measure has been criticised for failing to recognise households' different energy needs so the government now also measures fuel poverty on the basis of how much they have to spend for an 'adequate' standard of living. 

Energy prices affect fuel poverty

Fuel prices have been steadily increasing over the last ten years and are "typically been the most influential factor in movements in fuel poverty", according to the report.

From Tuvalu to Alaska, some communities are already feeling the effects of rising sea levels - but knowing just how much melting ice is contributing to sea level rise, and what we can expect in the future is more difficult. A major EU project has just released new projections - and it says sea levels could rise nearly 70 cm by 2100.

Today's media have reported the new projections but seem confused over whether they're better or worse than expected. The Times says the risk from rising seas is "worse than feared", whereas the  New Scientist claims "it's not as bad as we thought".

As it turns out it could be seen as a bit of both - here's why.

Ice2sea

Four years ago, the Ice2sea project launched with the aim of improving scientists' projections of how much melting sea ice will contribute to global sea level rise.

Two years previously, the  IPCC 4th assessment report gave a best estimate of sea level rise of around 40 cm by 2100, but said the biggest uncertainty was the contribution to sea level rise from ice sheets and glaciers.

As ice sheets and glaciers melt, water that was previously held on land is added to the ocean, causing sea levels to rise. Head of the Ice2sea project, Professor David Vaughan of the British Antarctic Survey, explained at the launch of the project's final report last night: